


stay with me, wait for me

by boxysmiles



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Bittersweet Ending, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Ghosts, M/M, Potential Suicide Ideation, or rather just an indifference to dying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27136469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boxysmiles/pseuds/boxysmiles
Summary: This is it.The hex works like poison, slowly seeping the energy out of him. He slowly lowers himself to the ground, pressed up against the wall. He's shaking, breathing heavily, and he knows this type of hex works fast.The injury in his side probably doesn't help, either. He manages to get a hand pressed up against it, but he knows it's futile now. He doesn't have any hope of getting to a cure in time for this hex, doesn't have a chance of anyone being able to find him that will be able to help.--178 days since Donghyuck lost Renjun, he appears when Donghyuck needs him most.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 14
Kudos: 58





	stay with me, wait for me

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a drabble fest I have going, the given prompt being "No, no. Don't close your eyes."
> 
> I will stress: the beginning does have a bit of Donghyuck being indifferent to dying, and intentionally putting himself at risk.

Donghyuck slumps against the wall, and thinks _oh, this is finally it._

He's been waiting for it. Has been expecting it to happen ever since he started getting more reckless with the way he works on jobs, ever since he started seeking out darker spirits to deal with, harder things to fight with that he might not win against.

He hasn't been looking to die. That's not it. He still fights as best as he can, still makes sure he puts in the most amount of effort possible to deal with these things.

It's just that he just doesn't mind if he does. Not anymore. Not ever since —

In all honesty, he'd been expecting to win this fight. Up against a mage with an affinity for very powerful and very dark and illegal magic, and they had unfortunately taken to using it on innocent people.

This usually isn't Donghyuck's thing to deal with, usually this kind of thing is handed to Sicheng or Yuta to deal with. Donghyuck usually just handles the lower level demons and other chaos bringers.

But he'd taken on the job because both had been unavailable, and Taeyong couldn't find anyone else in the area on short notice after a sighting of the mage.

"Be careful, Donghyuckie. Please," Taeyong had asked of him, voice full of desperation as he talked to Donghyuck over the phone. "I'd be there if I could, but you're the only one we have in that area. I don't want to make you go out there... but... Please just be careful, okay? Promise me."

And Donghyuck had promised he would be. Had given Taeyong a confident scoff, and said he'd be just fine. That he'd deal with this mage and hand them over to Taeyong and whatever other authorities to deal with.

Except, well — maybe Donghyuck was a little reckless. He missed the hex, the powerful and painful spell blasted his way. He'd gotten one off in return, just in time, as well as a tracking one from earlier, but that was all he could manage in the fight. The mage had fled the scene, leaving Donghyuck behind.

If nothing else, at least Taeyong will be able to find them now. They shouldn't have gone far anyway, not with Donghyuck's last desperate spell casted at them. But at least Donghyuck didn't _completely_ fail here. He won't die for nothing at least.

And that was really his last spell, he realises. That was the last one he'll ever be able to cast.

This is it.

The hex works like poison, slowly seeping the energy out of him. He slowly lowers himself to the ground, pressed up against the wall. He's shaking, breathing heavily, and _fuck_ it works fast.

The injury in his side probably doesn't help, either. He manages to get a hand pressed up against it, but he knows it's futile now. He doesn't have any hope of getting to a cure in time for this hex, doesn't have a chance of anyone being able to find him that will be able to help.

He struggles to pull out his phone from his jacket pocket, thankfully on the other side to his injury. The screen is cracked, and he almost drops it again as his fingers shakily unlock it.

He has so many people he should call. So many he should apologise to. So many he should've reached out again to sooner.

He ends up calling Jaemin, who's at the top of his more recent contacts. Presses it clumsily to speaker, and the dial tone echoes against the alley.

The dial tone rings out. Jaemin's cheery voice " _hey, it's Na Jaemin. Sorry I couldn't-"_

Donghyuck hangs up, biting back a choked sob. He doesn't have _time,_ he doesn't know what he could possibly say, what could be _enough._

He goes back to his contacts, and finds himself pressing the very most recent one. His message to Renjun, left unread, and he opens up their conversation.

The unread messages continue. One for every day.

Donghyuck knows that if he keeps scrolling up, if he counts them all, there will be a total of 178 unread messages.

His fingers are shaking more. Breathing is getting harder, his throat getting tighter, heart pounding painfully against his chest.

He hits the call button. Waits for it to ring out, like he knows it will.

Renjun's voice echoes out. " _You've reached Huang Renjun. Don't call again, I'll get back to you when I can. Leave a message- oh shut up Donghyu-"_

The beep rings out to start a voicemail. Donghyuck can't hold back his sob, but he has to do this, has to keep it together just enough. Just enough for this.

"Baby," he starts with, because he hasn't been able to say his name for 178 days now. "I'm so sorry. I did my best, I promise. Oh God, poor Nana, and Jeno, and — oh, _god._ Mark. Chenle. _Jisung._ But they'll ... Maybe they should be happy. We'll finally be back together, right? You and me again."

Donghyuck's words are slurring together. Mixed up with sobs, and with heavy, desperate breaths.

"I love you. I'll see you soon, okay?" Donghyuck manages, then hangs up. It'll sit on Renjun's phone. Maybe Jeno or Mark will find it on Donghyuck's bedside and listen to it.

The phone falls from his hands and clatters onto the ground, and he doesn't care. He doesn't have the energy anymore.

His head falls back against the wall, and his hand starts to fall away from his side. Keeping his eyes open is getting harder, and they start to slowly close, each blink getting longer and longer until he knows he won't be able to open them again.

"Baby," a voice says quietly. It sounds distant, like Donghyuck's submerged underwater and can hear them from the surface. "No, no, don't close your eyes. Come on Donghyuck. Come on, don't do this, _please._ Please open your eyes baby. _"_

Heartbreakingly, Donghyuck knows who it is next to him. Who he's desperately wished to see more than anyone, who he hoped to see once the pain ended, once he finally let go.

But fuck, if he's dead then it _hurts._ But he has to see, because if — if it's Renjun asking this of him, then he'll try.

He manages to open his eyes up slowly. And there, right in front of him.

"Renjun," Donghyuck breaths out, voice cracking. He'd sob if he had the energy to.

Renjun is crouched before him. He's got his arms out, hands on Donghyuck's cheeks, but —

Donghyuck can't feel him. Can't feel the warmth that should be there, if any other person was touching him.

Renjun is touching him, but Donghyuck can't feel him at all.

Renjun looks a little blurry around the edges, but Donghyuck figures it's probably more to do with the fact he's dying. With the way he's been crying, desperately aching after hearing Renjun's voice through the voicemail, and now — now, right here in front of him.

"That's it, that's it. You have to stay awake, okay?" Renjun asks of him, which sounds like all too much effort, but _fuck_ Donghyuck will try.

Even if this isn't real. Even if Donghyuck is dying, and desperately just imagining the person he wants to see more than anyone else right now. But he'll listen, because he'll hold onto the very unbelievable hope that this is real. That Renjun is with him at the end, like Donghyuck never was with him.

It's his biggest regret. He never reached Renjun in time.

"Miss you," Donghyuck slurs the words out, and it's not enough for what he wants to say to Renjun, what he never got the chance to say in the end.

Renhyuck laughs, but it's thick and watery and on the verge of crying. He's trying to brush Donghyuck's hair away from his eyes, but his hair only moves like the wind has barely brushed against it.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Renjun leans forward to press a kiss to his forehead, and Donghyuck's breathing stutters. It feels like another brush of wind, just a _moment_ of warmth that he's probably imagined.

"But we'll be together soon, okay? But right now, people need you here. Our friends need you here," Renjun whispers. Donghyuck refuses to close his eyes, trying to savour the sight of Renjun. If this is the last thing he sees, then he's thankful for it.

"Want to be with you," Donghyuck tells him. Renjun hushes him, brushing back his hair.

This time, Donghyuck's hair moves. Just for a moment before it stubbornly falls back in place — it's too long now, Donghyuck letting it grow out because he simply didn't care to cut it. But it _moves._

Donghyuck's starting to think maybe this isn't so unrealistic. Maybe, at the end, he's been granted one last final wish for this life.

Renjun smiles sadly when he notices the motion worked. His hands fall from Donghyuck's face, fingers ever so faintly feeling like they're leaving a trail along Donghyuck's cheeks, jaw, neck — all the way down to his side. Down to the injury.

"You'll be with me when you've lived a good, long life, Lee Donghyuck. I'll be waiting for you then," Renjun promises, leaning forward to press a kiss on his cheek. "And if you come _any_ sooner than that, I'll kick you right back into the living world. So you better promise me you'll be a while, okay?"

Donghyuck nods. It's partly because he's delirious with pain and can barely make sense of anything right now, but mostly because he'll promise Renjun anything.

He owes it to him. After everything, Donghyuck can do this much for Renjun's last wish, if he makes it past tonight.

Renjun's hands press into the wound. There's a brief flash of pain, so bright and sharp that it pierces through the distant, dull ache it had settled into as he started to die. Donghyuck gasps, fingers desperately scrambling to do something, to make it stop.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Renjun is chanting, over and over. "You'll be okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

Renjun's starting to get blurrier. But Donghyuck's vision is getting sharper, the world starting to come back to him. The distant sounds of cars, the quiet night of the city starting to hum. The feeling of the ground beneath him, the wall at his back.

And Renjun's fingers, pressing into his wound. The pain that's seeping away, his breathing coming easier, life coming back to him.

But still, Renjun is fading before him.

"Renjun..." Donghyuck is able to get out. Renjun, focused on Donghyuck's side, looks up to meet his eyes.

They're bright and sparkling, like he's alive again. Like he's right here with Donghyuck, like he always was, healing each other up and fixing each other's wounds.

Renjun is here before him, saving him once more. But Donghyuck knows it won't last — that Renjun will continue to fade until he leaves again, and Donghyuck will be left alone once more.

"I love you," Donghyuck says, because that's all he can say at the moment. Because that's everything anyway, isn't it? Donghyuck loves Renjun, and Renjun loves Donghyuck — and that's all that matters, even at the end. It covers everything they need to say between each other.

Renjun's fingers aren't pressing into the wound anymore. It doesn't hurt so much anymore, and Donghyuck knows that whatever Renjun has done, he's managed to save Donghyuck.

Renjun's hands come up to press against his cheeks, and Donghyuck can feel it now.

"I love you too," Renjun whispers, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. It's not long enough, just something that's fuelled by Renjun's desperation to convey it, to show how relieved he is that Donghyuck is okay.

The feeling of Renjun's fingers begins to disappear. Renjun is still holding him, but Donghyuck can't feel him.

"Keep me waiting, Lee Donghyuck," Renjun asks of him. He's got a grin, light-hearted and easy, even though Donghyuck can see the way it's shaking.

But it's enough. It's enough to remember Donghyuck has a promise to keep, and he nods. Renjun's smile dips into something relieved, something soft and warm that always makes Donghyuck's stomach swoop.

He knows he'll see Renjun again now, after all.

Renjun fades away. Gone, like he was never here at all.

But he saved Donghyuck. Healed him enough that when Jaemin comes running into the alley, falling beside Donghyuck and hurrying to fix what Renjun didn't have time to do.

It goes unspoken. The way that Jaemin ended up here, having enough supplies with him to help deal with Donghyuck's wounds. The way they both know that Renjun had something to do with this, too.

Donghyuck closes his eyes, and knows he'll be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Usually I keep these drabbles over on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/shiningstarhwa), as it's part of a drabble prompt fest I do sometimes where people pick a ship/prompt number from a list, but I decided to chuck this one over here because it went over my usual 1k. 
> 
> This one ... Maybe a little sadder than I usually write, oop :(( and a lot shorter than I like to upload on AO3, but ah well asdfgh i have a few long fics in the works :') 
> 
> Thank you for reading this little drabble! all my love, and as always kudos/comments/bookmarks are always very appreciated <3 <3


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